


Audience with the Emperor

by RedBlood_Moon



Series: An Apprentice [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Ahsoka Tano-centric, Ahsoka joins Vader, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Conversations, Dark Ahsoka Tano, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Lightning (Star Wars), Gen, Grand Inquisitor Ahsoka Tano, Inquisitor Ahsoka Tano, Manipulative Sheev Palpatine, POV Ahsoka Tano, Post-Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Pre-Star Wars: A New Hope, Sheev Palpatine Being A Creep, Sheev Palpatine Being An Asshole, Sith Ahsoka Tano, The Dark Side of the Force (Star Wars), Using the Dark Side of the Force (Star Wars)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 00:41:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28591182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedBlood_Moon/pseuds/RedBlood_Moon
Summary: Never before had she felt so small as she did now, kneeling before the most powerful being in the galaxy. Never before had she ever felt so powerless. The Emperor was what she aspired to be, what she was destined to become one day, but that was in the future. For now, all she could do was hope that his darkness would not devour her whole.
Relationships: Ahsoka Tano & Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker | Darth Vader & Ahsoka Tano, Sheev Palpatine | Darth Sidious & Ahsoka Tano, Sheev Palpatine | Darth Sidious & Darth Vader
Series: An Apprentice [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2045597
Comments: 5
Kudos: 38





	Audience with the Emperor

**Audience with the Emperor**

**I**

“I must confess that I didn't expect to ever see you again, my dear.”

Vader's Force presence resembled in many ways a storm. It was a violent disaster, a force of nature that swiped everything in its path away and destroyed cities, countries, and even entire planets without mercy. For who were they, compared to him? He was might, he was power, and they were nothing but pebbles beneath his boots. At all times, rage and pain swirled around him, threatening to suffocate everyone who dared to challenge him. His presence was terror given form, and the only thing that 'protected' the people of the galaxy from his power wrath was its master's iron-gripped control over it.

“When Lord Vader told me that he had captured you, I was surprised. Even more so when he asked me for permission to turn you. I was hesitant at first, unsure whether that would be wise. But in the end, I just couldn't say no, though. I was curious too, you see.”

Palpatine- no, _Sidious_ ' presence was entirely different. He was simultaneously like a dark hole, sucking in everything in its vicinity without distinction between foe and friend, and a black sun, emitting terror and darkness just like a star would emit warmth and light. There was no prevalent emotion like there was with Vader, only an all-encompassing maliciousness. She found it almost impossible to think of the Sith Lord as a human being; the moment she concentrated her senses even a little bit on the man himself rather than the power he emitted, it was as if she was looking into the abyss of the dark side itself. He wasn't just one of its practitioners but a very part of it. If someone would tell her now that the Emperor was the dark side given form with only a bad imitation of skin to make him look more human, she would believe them without hesitation. There was nothing but a black _nothingness w_ here his signature should be! She could feel this mockery - _wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong_ \- of a Force signature all over the throne room and the planet itself as if his presence contaminated everything it touched, leaving a rotten and evil trace behind.

He was a sickness in the Force, and she had to wonder how a Jedi -or generally a Force user not in tune with the dark side- would react if they stood in front of him.

“Even I couldn't have foreseen that you would fall as quickly as you did, though,” he continued with a silent cackle that made shivers run down her spine. “You see, I believe that _everyone_ can be turned to the dark side, with whether that happens through conservative methods or more... _creative_ ones depending on the person. For you to fall in just a few months when you weren't even tortured, well, it seems I judged you wrong. The seeds must have already been there all along and only needed some help to grow.”

_(“There is a wildness to you, young one. Seeds of the dark side planted by your master. Do you feel it?”)_

She couldn't see it from her position, kneeling in front of the podium with her head lowered in submission, but she _felt_ it when his eyes finally fell directly upon her. She couldn't say if the sentiment came from the Force or through her heritage as a predator, but she felt like prey in front of a beast that she knew she couldn't fight or even outrun as her knees turned to jelly right beneath her. Her teeth started to throb and she thought she could hear the crackling of electricity in the distance; it was as if she was in a room with a bolt of living lightning.

There were soft steps as the Emperor moved away from the glass facade through which he had watched the ever-busy traffic of Coruscant since her arrival, and then a silent rustle of clothes when he sat down on his throne.

“But as fortunate as it is that you decided to join us, it still leaves us with the little problem of figuring out what to do with you.”

She swallowed once, gathering her strength to make sure that her voice didn't crack but sound strong and confident when she finally opened her mouth. “I live to serve, Your Majesty.”

“Oh, I'm sure you do,” Sidious jeered in false agreement. “I do not doubt that you would serve me just as loyal as Lord Vader here, isn't that right, my friend?”

It was as if a weight had been taken from her shoulders when his eyes left her to address her master who had stood to the right of Sidious' throne since the beginning of this audience, a silent guard that physically loomed over them and yet served the man on the throne all the same.

“I only do as my master commands.”

There was an audible scoff after he said these words, making her cringe against her will. “Is that so? How funny, I can't remember commanding you to take an apprentice in an attempt to ultimately overthrow me. Tell me, _my friend,_ is there maybe a gap in my memory?”

There was a short pause in which she tried very hard not to react in any way, to not give anything away, before-

“You allowed me to turn her, Master.”

“Yes,” he said dismissively before continuing to speak with quiet fury, “I did. But there is a difference between turning a former Jedi into a dark sider, an Inquisitor, and turning one into a _Sith_.” Then his attention was suddenly back on her. “Tell me, my dear, what is your name?”

She blinked, trying to get a handle on her emotions that were switching between confusion about the question and fear for what he could do to her should he find her answer lacking until they finally settled on confusion. “My name, Your Majesty?”

“You _Sith name,_ girl,” he spatted. “The one your M _aster_ gave you after you fell.”

Her eyes widened in understanding. Of course, _that_ was what he meant, the question made sense. But...

“I don't have one, Your Majesty.”

He stayed silent for a moment, but when spoke again his voice was silent, barely above a whisper, and devoid of emotions. “Look at me, dear.”

The sight was horrifying.

The Emperor looked like a walking corpse. His pale flesh hung loosely from his body in soft laps, creating dark bags under his eyes and soft folds over his hollow cheeks. Most of his arms was hidden beneath his cloak, but what she could see from them and his hands was thin beyond belief, making his fingers look more like a beast's claws rather than part of a human's body. The only things about him that truly looked alive were his eyes; two golden balls in empty sockets that glowed like embers and seemed to look right through her.

She didn't have much time to think about these realizations because she felt a presence invading her mind just a second later.

She had known from the beginning that this would likely happen, that he expected her to lay her mind bare. Vader had told her as much beforehand, but nothing could have prepared her for it.

She doubted she could have resisted him even if she tried. His mental attack wasn't like a hammer, crude but powerful, or even like a knife, aiming at the smallest cracks in her defence and exploiting them to bring her entire wall down, but like a corrosive acid that melted its way right into her mind. It didn't matter how strong her mental defences were, for they would simple corrode until there was nothing left than a puddle of melted metal.

There was nothing she could do to stop Sidious from digging through her mind, reading her innermost thoughts, watching all her memories, and feeling her emotions. But even in the stupors state she was in, she could feel the presence of her master - _was he even truly her master? He hadn't even given her a proper Sith name!_ \- working subtly in the back of her head to keep certain memories away from _his_ master's prying eyes. Probably those about himself talking about betraying him, she would guess. And even though she felt confused about what she s _hould_ feel about him right now, she was glad that he did so, for these memories would undoubtedly be enough proof for the Emperor to dispose of her.

It wasn't until the presence left her mind that she realized that she wasn't any longer kneeling, but lying face down on the floor.

“It seems that an apology is in order,” he said, not sounding sorry at all and speaking in a voice she recognized as a parody of the one he used during his time as Channeller when he wanted to sound grandfatherly. “It seems I may have been a little too hasty in my judgement. Please, rise. The floor is no place for a young lady, wouldn't you say?"

Staying as she was would honestly have been more to her liking right now -her body feeling worse than after her fight with Shaak Ti- but she still forced herself into a kneeling position once again. Her pride wouldn't have allowed anything else.

He might have told her to rise, but she wasn't foolish enough to not understand the underlying command; he didn't want her lying on the floor, yes, but he certainly didn't want her standing either.

“Now that this _unpleasantness_ is behind us, we can finally speak about much more important matters,” he continued. “If you're not a weapon for my demise, then you can certainly be a great boon to my Empire.” He found that very amusing if the glee in his voice was anything to go by.

Noticing the expectant glance in her direction, she steeled herself to address him again. “Tell me what to do and it will be done.”

“She reminds me a lot of you, my friend,” he addressed Vader with a mirthless smile. “So willing to do my bidding, and so very subservient. She will make a great Grand Inquisitor, I'm sure.”

For a moment, anger about this insult arose within her chest. She was _better_ than a mere Inquisitor, she knew she was. What worth was the title 'Grand Inquisitor' when all it meant was that she was the best of a bunch weaklings? She had fought in one of the worst wars of galactic history ever since she was a young teenager, had battled cyborgs and Sith and had even killed one of the strongest Jedi Master in single combat less than a week ago. She _deserved_ better!

Knowing her input wasn't asked for, she bottled the emotion up, hoping that she did so fast enough that nobody -especially the Emperor- noticed, but it was for nought.

“Oh? You disagree?”

“No, Your Majesty,” she instantly denied. “I will do however you-”

“Now,” he interrupted her amused, “there is no need for false modesty here. After all, aren't we among friends?”

She tried to find the right words to reply but was too distracted by her flaring nerves when she saw the Emperor stood up and walked down the podium towards her.

“Your opinion is understandable. Lord Vader told me how you managed to kill Master Shaak Ti. A most impressive feat, if I may say so. Even more so when the way _how_ you did it is taken into consideration. Not many could have done that. But then again...”

He stood directly in front of her now, grabbing her chin with one claw-like hand and forcing her lips apart to examine her canines.

“Togrutas are known for being predators, and who would be better suited to kill a beast than a fellow one?”

All her instincts were screaming at her to defend herself, regardless of whether she could win or not. Just like a cornered animal who knew it stood no chance against its foe but fought anyway, her body tensed against her will, ready to jump at the perceived threat. Furthermore, rage at being called a beast and disgust at being grabbed like that - _like an animal!_ \- fanned the flames of the dark side inside of her. All that was only made worse by the fact that she could clearly see that her reaction did nothing but amuse him and that he obviously did not take her seriously or considered her a threat as well.

Then there was suddenly a well-known presence in the back of her head, forcing her emotions down and allowing her to keep her cool.

No matter what her feelings for Vader were at the moment, she was grateful for his interference. She didn't even want to think about what would have happened if she had attacked the Emperor. “Thank you, Your Majesty,” she replied instead, and for a second, she thought she could see the disappointment in her eyes. It was gone a moment later, though, making her doubt that it had ever been there in the first place.

“You don't need to worry, _Grand Inquisitor,_ ” the Emperor continued as if nothing had happened, finally letting her chin go from his cold grasp. “You will have many other, more important duties aside from your tasks as Inquisitor. There are many who are not happy with my rule and your name still carries weight in certain circles. You might not have been as famous as _Anakin Skywalker,_ ” -he threw a mocking glare at the black cyborg that still stood silently beside his throne- ”but as the student of the famed 'Hero With No Fear,' you had your fair share of attention. With most other so-called war heroes being dead or declared traitors, they will naturally flock to you. I will use that to my advantage.”

“You wish to use my name to appeal to those who remember the Jedi as their heroes and those who wish back the days of the Republic,” she realized. _That might actually work,_ she thought. Of course not for the diehard enemies of the Empire, nor for most politicians, but those that remembered her fondly for saving them through the Clone Wars? Or the normal citizens whose only source of news about the war came from the propaganda apparat? Yes, they might be swayed by her words. After all, she was a former Jedi who left the Order after they betrayed her just like they would later betray the Republic. Who could possibly know better about how rotten the Order had become than an insider like her?

Her status as a war hero of the Republic would come in quite handy. If the Jedi would betray one of their own, even after everything she had done and all the heroic deeds she had accomplished, then what stopped them from doing the same to the government they had sworn to protect? Her word would make it harder for rebels to show the Jedi and their supporter in a positive light while her support of the Empire would strengthen its moral high ground.

“Indeed,” he agreed. “Now, before we end this, it's only fair that I reward you for your success in purging the galaxy of one more Jedi. I learned from Lord Vader's report that you were able to summon Force Lightning. Tell me, my dear, did you manage to repeat that feat since?”

She had not. It wasn't for a lack of trying, but even with Vader's pointers -and that was all he could give about that topic, seeing that his mechanic limbs made it impossible for him to use the technique himself- weren't helpful in that regard. No matter what she tried, she just didn't manage to create as much as a single spark.

The answer must have been visible on her face, or maybe he felt her frustration through the Force and deducted it from there, for he continued without allowing her to reply. “It was to be expected,” he said with false sympathy. “Force Lightning is special. While some people may be able to use it instinctively when their life is in danger and some rare individuals might even master it all on their own, you must usually meet a certain criteria to master the technique. Fortunately for you, I'm a master of this technique. As a reward for your victory and as a sign of my gratefulness for your service, I will aid you with this.”

She blinked. That wasn't what she had expected, but she couldn't say that she was unhappy about that. The rush of power flowing through her veins, all that pure energy _literally_ readily at her fingertips whenever she needed it, she had felt during her fight with Shaak Ti was one of the greatest things she had ever experienced. Not to forget that it was also a trademark technique for a Sith. She would be a mere Inquisitor - _Grand Inquisitor_ , she conceded- for now, but sooner or later, she would rise in rank. She would be a Sith. Nothing else was acceptable.

Weren't she so engrossed in her thoughts about her future, she would have noticed the weird tension from the other end of her Force Bond.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” she replied, trying to hide how pleased she was. “You're doing me a great honour.”

“Oh no,” he said, the clear amusement in his voice finally setting off the alarm bells in her head. _“It's my pleasure.”_

She tilted her head, trying to decipher what was going on, but by the time she realized the danger she was in it was already too late.

“You see,” Sidious spoke again, dark malic and glee clearly audible as he raised his arms, “in order to summon and use Force Lightning properly, you need to be on the receiving end of its power at some point, as a means of taking the energy inside yourself. Otherwise, you will never use more than a pale imitation.“

She had no time react, no opportunity to evade or somehow block the attack before a stream of lightning crashed into her.

For the next few minutes, her world was reduced to agony, screams, and purple light. She couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't do anything other than endure the pain and hold to her sanity. Then, finally, after what felt like an eternity, blackness settled over her like a blanket and allowed her mind to escape into the mercy of unconsciousness.


End file.
